Window ventilator



July 1, 1941. w HENDERSON 2,247,947

WINDOW VENTILATOR Filed July 14, 1938 (k /wa w 2770mm K5 Patented July1, 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y 2,247,947 WINDOWVENTILATOR ,Will iamHenderson, Mineola, N. Y. ApplicationJuly 14,1938,SerialNo. 219,1 15 Y'3 claims. (01. same 7 My invention relates to ventilators in windows,so constructed and arranged that controlled ventilation may be providedwithout moving a window sash. More particularly, I provide'aconstruction and an article of this character which has importantadvantageous characteristics compared with constructions which haveheretofore been suggested. My invention involves improvements to provideventilators that may be universally installed, without change inexisting window panes and muntins, that will provide simplicity ofconstruction, assure the screening of the air when the ventilator isopen, permitof any desired adjustment of the volume of air, provide formanufacture of the several parts in the combination at far less cost,involve no obstruction to the light penetration, involve glass parts ofsimple and economical form, not liable to breakage, nor diflicult toproduce,and in all a most economical, durable and easily manipulatedventilator which may be combined witha por-' tion only of a window pane,or supplant one en tire pane of glass, and in case of accidental damage,permit of simplicity and economy of replacement.

Furthermore, my construction involves part glass and part metal framing,and connections made of the metal parts of the structure made in arelatively simple and economical manner, and permit of assembly bysimple implacement of parts. Also, there isobtained, by my invention,connection of the ventilator with the window pane or the muntins, in thesimplest form-of the glazing art, insuring the same permanentweatherproofness as attained in'the glazing of a plane sheet of glass inthe muntins of the sash; without mechanical devices. '1

My construction furthermore permits ofthe production of the completeassemibled'article that may be installed by any glazer, and therefore anarticle of practically universal use of manufacture and distribution forinstallation in any predetermined standard sizes.

My ventilator may be installed in casement windows as well as slidingsash windows? In particular, it provides for a suitable volume orair-flow which is prevented from blowing directly into the room, andtherefore eliminates" the disadvantages necessitatingthe partial openingof a casement window, or the partial lifting or lowerand thus affectsthe vertical strata of air lying close to the window, and prevents orminimizes condensation on the window surface. By simple regulation ofthe volume of air, and as my'ventilator affords a large volume of air ifdesired, the advantages of temperature regulation in the room involveuniformity, without draft or condensation, on any metal parts or on theotherwise clear window panes.

In a preferred form of my construction, I pro: vide a frame to set inthe plane of the window pane, occupying a portion, preferably the lowerportion of the window pane, and with a came top to engage an edge of awindow pane. When my device is intended for the upper sash; al'bottomframe extends substantially horizontal outward approximately the samedistance-asthe height of the first frame, and from the top edge of thefirst frame to the outer edge of thehorizontal frame a plate of glass isglazed by suitable came, or other frame members connecting it at itstop'and bottom to the other frames with a weatherproof joint, and atboth horizontal. ends it is connected or glazed to the inclinededgeofthe' end-closing members of the ventilator; These end-closing membersmay b'eitriangular pieces ofglass connected to the first vertical framemember and the inclined glass plate; but as the light penetration isessentially'provided by the'inclined plate of glass, the end members maybe formed of sheet metal,-and in sodoing the sheet metal members may-bemost economically formed with the came orlike connections, for assemblyand support of the other members. 7 I Having thus atriangular lightpenetrable ventilator structure with an open frame bottom-substantiallyhorizontal and protectedfrom the weather by the inclined glass plate,the opening at the bottom is formed with border ledges, on

screen by its weight in its functioning positionwhen the air current ispermitted to enter; The

for cooperating member's between the inside of the triangular members'ofthe ventilating box,

and the ends of the tiltabl'e plate, yielding means and form so made asto loosely fit into the recess formed between the outer edge of the wirescreen mat and the outer lower edge of the inclined glass plate,whichtherefore constitute,- in ef: feet, a hinged connection for theouteredge of the air-control plate andpermit' its ready ad- .justmfentto any angle desiredifor .ventilation', i"'v and, in particular, permitsits insertion without ,7

detail mechanism of any sort, and therefore of simplicityv and theavoidance--oi any detail mechanism of.obviousdisadvantage,-

. Thusgthe airscreen-member as a unit,-,and the controlling adjustabletilting plate, for: air-regula tion mayfbe' completely madeseparate,packed,- shipped and handled separately; and inserted by'simpleimplacement in-theirfunctioning positions, after the main memxbenof theventilator has been. installed. Furthermore, itv permits the replacement"of the wire screen, or the; cleaning of the'screen and tilting'control:plate with the greatest convenience; J 1 c a another form of my?construction, ;I provide a main vertical frame "adapted to: :fit'x'and-be glazed 1 directly to the muntins;1:in. placer of the ordinary simpleplate of: glassia With this: frame I embody a glass sheet glazed to thetop edge" and extending 'at a slight .1 angle," to;= provide the fulllight penetration of the 2 area between-the :mune tins. A'tg'the bottomof the frame I extend asub+ stan-tially horizontal frame to theouter:edge to which the inclined sheetof glassis-gl'azed; and the bottomfrar'ne has,- as"in" the previous form, the surrounding ledges adaptedfor the reception of the'wire screen simply placed' thereinyanduori topof'the screen the tiltingair fiow-controlplate which is manipulated from'thejnner accessible edge, and'hi'nges at its outer'edge i'nthe angleformed by the inclined plate and the bottom frame. As inthe previousforrn; the ends'of the control'plate ihterengage with' end walls betweenthe; mainframe and the lateral edges of the inclined glass-sheet, ins'uc ha manner: as to-permit the automatic holding in position of theair fiow= I control *plate'at any desired angle when voluntarily raisedbya'suitable and c'onvenie'nt handl'e in the for'm'of an overhanginghookor'knobat tachedatithe' inner edge'of the co ntrol plate. i Ineither form, a metal" plajtemaybe substi tu-ted forthe tiltingair-control"plate', wi-th' suitable; and preferably frictioninter-engaging means at itsends to'firmly hold it at any angle to whichit has be'en voluntarily-moved in setting the ventil'ator into action.-5 It will b'e understood that when my ventilator is disposed with theinclined'plateextending'out: warclly of the window, the controlledscreenand ventilating provide for up-d-raft, with all the mechanism protected.

the form; shownli and described, it will be noted that when I use glassor' light. peiw'zious; materi'al'for the inclined i'a'ceortwallofimy'ventil'atonbox the fact'that .Ixmayuse'or'dinary stock plate glasssimplifies "andacheapens' the-con structiorr compared with; anyspecially formed and permits me to stamp or press out the differentmembers, both the inclined side or face, the tiltable air-fiow-controlshutter, and thetriangular ends of thebox and thereby-in some or all ofthese parts the construction is further simplified,

and is applicable in cases where ample light volume is attained throughthe balance of the window, and only ventilation and durability are.requirediof the ventilator. In further simplifying', for certain uses,I may omit the wire screen,

and;.,in: any; event, the air-control plate provides for the fullopening of the bottom of the Ventilator, and therefore the practically100 per cent passageofairwhen the plate; is open to permit ventilation,which'it willbe recognized isa characteristic y'differing entirely fromsliding plates with perforations=orslots, which at best can onlyprovidefora maximum of one't-half.v the air-flow area, and; in otherrespects arei disad vantageous-andare relatively expensive.

While in preferred forms ,I havesshown-myaircontrolplate as fittingens-its outer edge 'inua recess,'which irr-eifect is a hinge withoutdetail mechanism, 4 I may embody my invention with the'inner edgewofthe,ai-r=-control plate suitably fitting into a recess; orunderanoverhanging catcher two, andliftthe outer edge rofthe plate upward tosecure the ventilation; In such construction preferably have theilowersupporting or bottomframefor the plate inclined so that it; attaches 'tothe iinclined.-'plate or facexmore nearly at right'angles, thus;permit-ting. the free upwardi swing of the-plate: without striking theinclined. face 'of the ventilator box; I may also have a widersupportingmarg-inat the outer edge ofzthefbottom open frame andiin that-way theouteredge: of the tiltable plate freely moves upward and may be swung tothe vertical :po'sitions atrthe'innerr side 'of -the' ventilator. box,with suitable ';means-: for holding" it in any predetermined positionforv the desired :degree' of air-flow or in some *forms "I 'mayhave theouter inclined? pro tectingrplatezrof glass; or -otherwise,extendi fromthebottom and curve "inward until it jo'ins with theother portion of the"ordinary; window pane, or fits into the *muntin; towhich it is glazed;This also permits the free swinging of the air-fiowcontrolplate aboutits'inner edge with the'outeri edge of theplate rising clear ofzthe"outer in'clined protecting face of the box. Forms or myinventionrarershown in: the" accompanyingdrawings, inW-l-richz-Fig;'I:is-a fragmentary view of a lower corner of a sashiinwhich' myventilator device is shown embodiedin'tl'ie lower-"portion of one of thepanes. H I i Fig; II'isa perspective view, on a larger scale,

' of the unit device with"all' theve'ntilator'mecha I .Fig. V is a plan;viewof the'air filter-screen;

also shown as I a separate part,

VIVI, Fig. II, showing on an enlarged scale various connections of thedifferent members of the box with the air screen and the air-controlledcover or lid in open position. I r

Fig. VII is a fragmentary view, of a section on line VII-VII of Fig.ILshowing particularly detailsof one form of the end of the box whenmade of metal.

Fig. VIII is a perspective view of a'mo'dified' form in which theinclined light offset pane ex tends to the top of the opening for directconnection to the muntin.

As shown in the drawings, the complete assembled ventilating unitcomprises the inclined glass member I, which is secured at its top edgeto the horizontal frame member 2 of a frame which has the side members3-3 to engage and be glazed to the muntins. A bottom member of the frame4, provides for glazing at the bottom to the lower muntin edge, and onits inside is formed with a rib 5 which provides a ledge to hold thewire screen, 6, and, in turn, the air-flow-control plate I when the sameis closed to stop ventilation. The offset 5 need not be used when theconstruction takes a form in which the border next to the window has themuntin in proper position to support the screen and the tiltableair-flow-control plate.

The tilting plate engages at its outer end the recess formed between thebottom edge of the inclined plate I and a rib 8 extending from theborder member 5, which engages and is glazed to the lower edge of theinclined plate I. At the ends of the box, should the ends be made ofmetal, they can be offset at the bottom H] to form a ledge to supportthe wire screen mat, as well as the air-flow shutter. The ends also maybe bent over to form an engaging border H to be glazed to the lateraledges of the inclined plate forming a weatherproof joint.

As shown in Fig. VIII, the inclined plate I is secured to the top borderof the pane opening and the triangular box ends l2, when made of glass,are sealed at the inclined edge of member l so as to form a weatherproofjoint, without the necessity of any metal binder, came or the like, thussimplifying the construction in the extreme. The glass end may also beused in like manner at l2 in the box form shown in Fig. II, etc.

When making the box ends of metal, I may provide an offset rib l3 whichpresses against the end edges of the tiltable shutter. This may be aseparate spring member, or spring pegs may be attached to the shutter toform a yielding and friction contact, particularly when the box ends aremade of glass. These serve to hold the airflow-control shutter at anangle when open, and securely closed when down against the wire screen.

It will be noted that the construction provides all the requiredtight-fit for the ventilating shutter, without the necessity ofmechanism, such as metal hinges, but the inner edge of the glass shutterwhen rounded fits into the recess at the bottom of the inclined glassmember, so that in effect it hinges at that point, and when closed itfits against the muntin or rib on the inside, and therefore is securelyheld and makes an air-tight closure for the bottom.

As shown in Fig. VI, the part of an ordinary glass pane A fits into agrooved member 2, and the same grooved member forms a pocket l5 acrossthe entire pane, and into it is glazed the upper end of the inclinedglass member. Similarly, the lower edge of the inclined fiat glass l isengaged by a longitudinal socket member 9, which can be formed with theextension 8 underneath inwardly to support the screen. U

While I prefer'to make the ventilating air-flowcontrol plate of a singlefiat piece of glassyl may have border members around its edges in orderto attach the handle, and also'to attach any members for frictioncontact in its adjusted posi-= tion. When of glass, I attach on-theinner side, for its operation, a clip which may be cemented to theglass; or more positively held by a drilled hole and pin, to which theknob or a lateral extending spring-operating clip It may be attached, Aspring clip assures the yielding contact when suddenly opening theglass, so as not to break the inclined glass plate, or a rubber handleor latch can be suitably cemented to the glass. In some cases I may makethe tilting control shutter of metal with suitable yielding means topositively hold it in its predetermined position, which in some cases isnecessary in view of its lightness and possible displacement by theup-draft.

In all, it will be noted that my invention in volves a combination ofconstructions of extreme simplicity. It may be made as a box which anyglazer can readily insert in the corresponding, standard size of windowpane opening. I may also make it a full size of a pane as a substituteto fit directly into the muntins.

When using a fiat glass sheet, and. glass end members to the triangularbox, I have a full light penetration not in any way deducting from thevolume of light attained through the ordinary window pane. The same issubstantially true of any modifications, but should it be desired tomake some of the parts of metal the substitution for equivalentadvantages may be made.

The particular advantages in the features of construction, forsimplicity, cleanliness, ready assembly, and the very economicalmanufacture and installation, have heretofore been cited, and willhereinafter appear in my claims as important features of my invention.

Many variations may be made without departing from my invention, butwhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. A window ventilator adapted for glazing in place of a portion or allof a Window pane, comprising a main frame for juxtaposition with themuntins of the window, an inclined flat glass plate glazed to onehorizontal edge of said frame, vertical end members engaging said frameat the edge thereof to which said inclined fiat glass plate is glazed,and extending substantially in the same degree of inclination to saidframe as does said inclined flat glass plate, said end members engagingalso the ends of the inclined fiat glass plate, an auxiliary frameextending substantially at right angles to said main frame and defininga bottom opening to the space between said main frame and said inclinedflat glass plate, a readily insertable air screen for the bottomopening, a tiltable control plate readily insertable and removable intosaid space to completely close said opening, and means for adjusting thetilting of said control plate to any desired degree and to automaticallymaintain it in such tilted position to permit ingress of air through thescreen into the space defined by said main frame, and inclined flatglass plate.

2. A window ventilator as claimed in claim 1, in which the means foradjusting the tilting of the control plate comprises a pair of leafsprings secured at the ends thereof to the control plate in proximity tothe edge of such control plate,

adapted to contact the interior surface of the inclined fiat glassplate; whereby said control plate is retained in any position oftilting, and

thereby control the flow of air through the screen.

3; AWindow ventilator adapted to be inserted in place of a pane ina'window structure, having amainframe to engage the muntins, ahorizontal bottom. air flow aperture frame, glass plates 10 glazed: tosaid frames forming 'a protecting triangular box; and'a readilyremovable air-control plate, fitting over. the aperture of saidhorizontal frame with one offits edges freely engaging'the outer sideof: the bottom frame, said air-control plate being readilyinsertableinto and removable-

